


The Dance Project

by Blue_Night



Series: The Adventures of the Roman Legatus Marcus Retus and his Friends [6]
Category: Football RPF, Real Person Fiction
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Ancient History, Dancing, First Kiss, First Love, Friendship, M/M, Mentioning of Reincarnation, Romance, coming together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-31
Updated: 2016-01-31
Packaged: 2018-05-17 10:38:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5866237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Marco Reus, Erik Durm and their friends have to make a dance project for their sports class in school, and Mrs. Brömmel, their teacher wants them to perform their project on the open day of their school. The boys are terrified at first, but then, Rufus, their new friend has an idea and Marco and his clique start this project with eagerness. Will it also help him to come closer to his secret crush Erik and make Erik fall in love with him?</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Dance Project

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts).



> After updating a couple of my WIPs, I needed a break and something new, and this idea popped up in my mind yesterday. It was supposed to be about 1000 or 2000 words, but it turned out to be quite a huge oneshot, much longer than I thought it would be. I also seem to be unable to leave my beloved Romans and Teutons alone for a while, and I found the idea of mixing past and present intriguing and appealing. Therefore, I added this oneshot to my series, even though it is not really an ancient AU. I also needed a female sports teacher for this story, because no male teacher I know would come up with this crazy idea. Ann-Kathrin Brömmel seemed to be the best choice for that... ;-)
> 
> Dear GoFoGoals, as I told you before, I don't really need a reason to gift a story to you, consider this as my attempt to make up for the long delay of UMH and for the delay of the promised German oneshot. You loving my Roman Marcus so much could be another reason, if I really needed one, as much as your wonderful friendship and outstanding support. Thank you for everything, sweetie. <33
> 
> My dear readers, I hope you will have as much fun reading this story as I had writing it, if you liked it, please leave feedback, your feedback is what keeps me writing and always makes me happy. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I can't believe what Mrs. Brömmel ordered us to do! It is bad enough that we have a female teacher for sports – but this! It is ridiculous! Everyone will laugh about us!” Erik Durm groaned, hitting the metal door of his locker with his fist. “It would already be bad enough if we had at least some chicks in our group, but there are too little girls in our class and our group contains only boys, what was she thinking when she ordered us to go through such a project?”

Marco Reus leaned against his own locker, crossing his arms before his chest as he eyed Erik from the side. The younger boy looked adorable in his anger, and Marco suppressed the urge to reach out with his hand to stroke over his full lips pursed to a pout. “You know that it is what the curriculum says, don't you, Erik? She had no other choice.” It wasn't as if he was pleased about their task, but he knew that Mrs. Brömmel had to go with the curriculum, and choreography was one part of it this year. It will make half of our sports-grade, so this project is pretty important to all of us.”

Their friend Jonas rolled his eyes as he closed the door of his locker with a rather loud 'bang'. “Choreography might be a part of our curriculum and important for our grades, but letting us make a show out of it during our next open day was only her own stupid idea. We will make ourselves look ridiculous!” the shorter brunet whined, and Erik nodded vigorously his head. “Exactly. What did she think we shall do when she came up with this crazy idea? Shall we perform some kind of male ballet ensemble like some carnival clubs do? With pink tutus or what?”

Patrick, Julian, Matze, Sven and Nuri, who had listened silently to Erik's and Jonas' complaints so far, shuddered visibly by the thought of wearing pink tutus, while Mario chewed musingly on his lip. “We have to find another solution. Maybe, we could practice break dancing? This would be pretty cool.”

Rufus, the newest member of their clique frowned, skeptically. He had joined their class after the summer break and Marco and Sven, the leaders of their clique, had taken the red-haired boy under their wing right from the start. Erik, Mario, Nuri and the others had accepted Marco's and Sven's decision, and Rufus had become a good friend to all of them. His father couldn't work due to an accident, and his parents didn't have much money, but his friends made always sure that Rufus could participate in everything. They had even collected money for the class trip, and Rufus thanked his friends by helping them with maths, physics or whatever they had trouble to understand.

“Are you sure, Mario? I never tried to perform break dancing, and it looks pretty difficult to me. The risk of getting injured is pretty high. We should search for something else,” he now said, and Matze, the tallest and calmest of their group nodded his head. “Rufus is right, we should search for another solution. We could meet after school on the pitch. Maybe, we'll get an idea while playing football.”

Marco and Sven nodded. “Alright, guys, you heard it. I expect you to come to the training ground after doing your homework. We have to make plans for this ridiculous dance project!” the blond pupil said, and after a mumbled agreement, they parted, each of them thinking hard how to make the best out of the dance project they were supposed to perform and present on their next open day.

Marco had no idea how to do that, but he hoped that one of his friends would figure something out. When he waved at his friends, he shot a hidden wistful glance at Erik strolling through the door together with his best friend Jonas, gesturing wildly with his hands as they talked. Only Rufus knew that Marco had a crush on the handsome brunet, but his friend had promised to keep his secret and to not tell it to anyone.

Sven and Patrick smiled at him before leaving the building, too, and Marco grabbed his bag with a sigh and hurried to catch the bus. They had a lot of homework to do and his task of conquering Erik had to wait for a while longer, at least until they had found a solution for the dancing problem awaiting them.

 

***

 

“I think I have an idea!” Rufus said the minute Marco opened the door. He had called the blond earlier, asking him to meet before they would join the others.

Marco smiled at his friend. “Come in, I'm already curious what you have in mind.” He beckoned the red-haired boy in, and Rufus followed him into his room. “Do you know the 'Sabre Dance'?” he asked when he had made himself comfortable on Marco's bed, looking expectantly at the blond sitting beside him.

“No, I have no clue what you're talking about.” Marco shook his head.

“It is music from a ballet called 'Gayaneh', I'm sure you know it. It is played oftentimes by many events, while the ballet itself is rather unknown. I brought you a record.” Rufus pulled his small mp3-player out of his pocket, handing Marco one of the earphones. Marco listened to the music and his face lit up. “Yes, I know that, I only didn't know the name.”

“I heard it on the radio when I came home and it gave me an idea. Jonas and this music gave me the idea, actually.” Rufus explained, and Marco looked at him, his eyes urging Rufus to go on with his explanation.

“What if we would actually become a male ballet ensemble? Not in pink tutus, of course. I thought of something else. It could also lead to you being able to come closer to Erik, Marco,” he said with a meaningful expression in his eyes. Marco felt himself blush, but he didn't avert his eyes.

“I will go with everything that will make me come closer to Erik, as long as we won't make complete fools of ourselves,” he admitted, and Rufus patted his shoulder. “No, we won't, I promise you. But, we have to practice, a lot, and you won't have as much time for your beloved football until the day of the show.”

“If your idea makes Erik fall in love with me, then I will gladly go without football for a while. Just spill out what you have in mind!”

Rufus grinned but did as he had been told, and Marco's face lit up as he listened to his friend. “Rufus, you're great! This could truly work. We only have to convince the others of your idea, but I do believe that they will be more than happy to do that! Let's go and tell them what you figured out!” Marco stated, excitedly, and shortly after, they were on their way to the training ground where they would meet their friends.

Maybe, Mrs. Brömmel's dance project wasn't as bad as he first had thought, maybe, it would even help him to come closer to the beautiful boy with the hazel-green eyes and the light brown hair, something he had hoped that it would happen for a rather long time.

 

***

 

Eight pairs of eyes stared at them when Marco explained Rufus' idea to their friends, stunned into silence. Marco didn't miss the furtive glance Sven eyed Rufus with before looking away again, and he suppressed a smile. Maybe, Erik and him wouldn't be the only ones coming closer during the hours of practicing their dance.

“Do you truly believe that this could work?” Matze asked, the thought of having to dance in front of spectators apparently making him feel pretty uncomfortable. Julian patted his shoulder. “I will be your Roman, don't worry, Matze. We have the same height.”

Matze shot him an offended look. “And what makes you think that you will be the Roman and I will be the Teuton?” he wanted to know and Julian shrugged his shoulders with a crooked grin. “Our names.” He looked around. “This is only logical. Marco can be changed into Marcus, Julian is another form of Julius, and Patrick can be Patricius. Erik, Jonas and you are the perfect Teutons, because your names are already old Teuton names.” His gaze fell upon Sven. “You would be a better Roman than a Teuton, we should think about similar Latin names. And Nuri really doesn't look like a Teuton, but Mario could be a nice one.”

A wave of relief surged through Marco when his friends started to discuss Rufus' idea, and he relaxed, watching Erik from the corner of his eyes. The brunet boy sat there on the bench, his teeth worrying his full bottom lip as he thought about the project. “The idea is good, I think, but we are no ballet dancer. What do you have in mind, Rufus?”

The red-haired shrugged his shoulders. “I thought that we could figure that out together. The idea is to tell a short story with our dance. I read a book about Romans in Germania a couple of weeks ago, I remembered it when I thought about our project.”

He looked from Erik to Marcus with an innocent smile. “Marco – Marcus – is the military leader of a Roman camp in ancient Germania, and Erik could be a Teuton prince. Marcus finds him lying injured near the camp and takes him with him to take care of his wounds, not knowing that he is a prince of his tribe. When Erik wakes up, he is angry at first, but when he realizes that Marcus only wants to help him and is one of the nice Romans, he stops fighting and they become friends. But, the members of his tribe of course don't know that, and they come to the camp to free him. Marcus' legionaries fight against them while Marcus and Erik are away from the camp, searching for Erik's missing brother, but they come back just in time to stop them before someone gets seriously hurt. When both parties, Romans and Teutons see that Marcus and Erik are friends, they stop fighting and agree to a peace treaty. We are ten, but I thought we could ask Auba to join our group. I'm sure that he will like our project more than the one of his own group, being the only boy among girls. He looked horrified when Mrs. Brömmel told him to join the Luisa and her friends.”

Sven and Patrick whoohood, clapping their hands, and Jonas and Mario looked intrigued by the idea. Even Matze relaxed, obviously reassured by the prospect of not having to become a real ballet dancer. “Your idea is great, Rufus!” Nuri shouted, and the others nodded their heads. Julian rubbed his hands in anticipation, only Erik's forehead was creased with a slight frown, his eyes shooting furtive glances in Marco's direction that made Marco's heart flip with anxiety. Could it be that his secret crush didn't like it to be 'his' Teuton?

Erik's next words assured the blond that this wasn't Erik worried about, and he relaxed a little bit. “I like your idea, a lot, Rufus, but what kind of music could we use for your idea? I know the 'Sabre Dance' you talked about, and it would fit in very well, but honestly, I'm not comfortable with having to dance to ballet music the entire time.”

Mario and Jonas agreed to that, wholeheartedly, and Sven wrapped his arms around Rufus' small shoulders. “Lars can help us with the music, he is pretty good at that. He was forced into such a project a couple of weeks ago with his class, and he mixed the music for their dance projects. And you're right, Erik, I don't want to dance to ballet music myself. After all, we are all male, and we should point that out with using modern music, rock or something like that. We could use 'Another one bites the dust' from Queen for the fight for example, 'In Chains' from Depeche Mode when 'you' wake up in Marcus' camp and so on.”

Erik's eyes lit up, and he shot another look in Marco's direction, his cheeks showing the hint of a wonderful pink color. “This could truly work. Alright, I'm all in. But, we need costumes, then. There is no way that we can do this without being dressed properly.”

The corners of Marco's mouth hurt from his wide grin as he said, resisting the urge to rub his hands like Julian had done it: “This won't be a problem. I asked my mother before we left, and she promised me to help us. Her friend works at our theater and mom said she would ask her to make the costumes with her. The open day is in a little bit more than two months, that should be enough time for everything. I will ask Mrs. Brömmel if it would be possible for us to practice in another room to make it a surprise for the others. The smaller hall is free when we have sports. Hopefully, she will allow us to use it.”

Even Matze had a look of anticipation in his eyes now. “I will call Auba later and ask him if he wants to join our group. Your idea is pretty cool, Rufus,” he praised the red-haired boy, and Rufus blushed. “Thank you, Matze. I thought that we should make the best out of this project, especially being forced to perform it in public. We only have to talk about who will be who now. Auba could be an 'adopted' Roman, he can't be a Teuton with his skin color.”

“I want to be Erik's missing brother!” Mario exclaimed right away, “I'm the one having to dance only near the end, then. Don't get me wrong, Rufus, I admire you for your idea, but I'm really not good at dancing and I don't want to put you to shame.”

Marco who knew Mario since their childhood, smiled at him. “That's okay, Mario. You will be Erik's brother. Maybe, you could make a record of our little story telling the spectators what our dance is about? I think we should play that record before our performance starts or during the scenes. Your warm voice would be perfect for that.”

Mario blushed a little bit and Erik looked irritated by Marco's words, something that wasn't lost on the blond pupil. Marco hid his grin, pleased by Erik's jealousy. Not, that the younger boy had any reason to be jealous, but it would help matters if he was jealous now and then.

Sven looked at his watch and stood up. “I think that we discussed everything. It is too late to play football now, but we have a lot to think about during the next days. I will talk to Lars, maybe, you could come with me, Rufus? It was your idea, and we could talk about the scenes and how many it will become. I need to know that for the music.” Rufus nodded and stood up, too. Marcus could see how nervous he felt by the thought of being alone with the handsome blond for some time, and he gifted him with a brief, reassuring nod.

Then, he rose to his feet. “See you tomorrow in school, guys! Nuri? Maybe you could write the story down for us together with Mario? Lars could make the record when you're finished with that.” The two boys looked at each other, nodding in unison. “Do you have time now, Mario?” The dark-haired Turk asked, eagerly, and Mario smiled shyly. “Why not? I'm done with my homework, so let's start it as long as the idea is fresh.”

They waved at the others strolling off together, walking closely side by side. Marco swallowed, eyeing Erik from the side. “Erik? I could use a helping hand with searching for the right costumes...” he drawled, and the brunet looked surprised, but also pleased. “Of course, Marco,” he mumbled, sheepishly, stepping beside him.

“Julian, Matze, you could google ancient Rome and Germania to find out more about this era. We have all heard about the lost battle in the Teutoburger Wald, but some more information would be helpful, I guess. Jonas, Patrick, you can do the same, especially looking for the weapons they used. This will be important for our own 'Sabre Dance' when we fight against each other.”

The four boys nodded with cheeks rosy because of their eagerness and anticipation, and Marco exchanged a contented look with Rufus. The project that had looked like a mission impossible at first, had become something that would bring all of them closer together and would also maybe lead to something more, just like Marco had hoped for, and this because of a stupid curriculum and Mrs. Brömmel's crazy idea that suddenly wasn't that stupid and crazy any longer as he had first thought it was.

Marco went home with Erik by his side and a small, happy smile on his face, looking forward to the next two months and everything these two months would include.

 

***

 

“Erik, don't make yourself that stiff! How am I supposed to carry you like this? You are injured and unconscious, remember?” Marco groaned when the younger boy went rigid the second Marco touched him for the umpteenth time. They were alone in the large, empty room in the cellar of the house where Marco lived, and which his parents used for parties now and then, practicing their part of their dance project when 'Marcus Retus' found the injured Teuton prince Erik.

Everything had gone well, Mrs. Brömmel had been pleased when she had learned about their idea, granting them access to the empty hall during their sports classes and helping them with good advice as best as she could. She even had agreed to Auba joining them without further ado, rearranging two of the other groups for that. Luisa and her girls had complained, loudly, but Auba had looked as if Marco and his friends were his only lifeline, and when the blond had seen the performance of Luisa's group, swaying white and pink ribbons through the air to the admittedly beautiful music of the ballet 'Swan Lake', he had understood Auba's horror.

The girls looked beautiful and their performance was great, but Auba might be handsome and his movements of a natural grace hardly seen, but he really didn't resemble a white Swan only the slightest. The role of a Roman centurion suited him much better, and he had turned out to be the perfect addition to their group, teaching them some complicated dance steps and tricks they needed for their own special 'Sword Dance'.

Marco's mother had kept her promise and seen to the costumes they would wear, and Sven and Lars had recorded Mario's narration and mixed the music for their little show. Only that the 'little' show had turned into something much bigger than they first had planned, filling almost one hour, telling a real story just like a ballet should do. Marco could hardly wait for the open day to come so they could show it to the parents and interested new pupils who would visit their school on that day.

If only Erik wouldn't tense up each single damn time Marco took him in his arms. Marco was stronger than he looked like, and he could carry him for a few meters without problems, but not when he was stiff as a poker, wriggling in his arms.

The brunet now cast his eyes down, a blush creeping up from his neck and coloring his cheeks in this adorable pink Marco was addicted to. “I'm ticklish,” he mumbled, avoiding Marco's frustrated glance.

“You were not ticklish when Auba carried you to show me how to do it!” the blond complained, and Erik's blush deepened. “It's only three weeks, Erik! Sven was right when he ordered us to practice more, because it won't work out like that. What's wrong? I carry you exactly like Auba showed me!”

He slumped down next to Erik sitting on the tiles where Marco had almost dropped him. The younger boy played with the laces of his Teuton tunic, still avoiding his eyes. They had decided to wear their costumes during the rehearsals to get used to them, and it had turned out to be a good thing to do that. Marco had felt pretty uncomfortable wearing some kind of 'skirt' during the first times and had moved pretty awkwardly, but now he was used to it and he also thought that the Roman tunic and armor suited him quite well. As much as the Teuton clothing suited 'his' defiant prince.

Marco's rather harmless and innocent crush on the younger boy with the beautiful hazel-green eyes had become something really deep and serious within the last month, and he couldn't deny the truth any longer: he was totally and helplessly in love with Erik Durm, sometimes wishing that they were what they were when they played their roles: the Roman legatus Marcus Retus and his prince, Erik the Mattiacer.

Erik finally gazed at him from underneath his thick eyelashes. “It's not the same when you do it, I'm sorry,” he admitted, and Marco's heart suddenly sped up. “And why is it not the same, Erik?” he whispered, cautiously covering Erik's trembling fingers with his own. The brunet chewed on his lip, but he didn't pull away and after a few seconds, Marco entangled their fingers.

“Because I don't feel the same for Auba as I feel for you.” Erik's words hung in the air and Marco hardly dared to breathe.

“And what do you feel for Auba?” Marco flinched because his voice sounded as hoarse as it had never sounded before. His eyes were glued to the red spot where Erik couldn't stop biting his lip, and he carefully glided a little bit closer to him. “He is only a friend.”

Marco swallowed. “And I? What am I for you, Erik?”

The younger one shot him a quick look before focusing on his shoes again. “You are my friend, as well, but sometimes, I wish we would be something else than just friends...” Erik's voice trailed off and Marco felt as if it was Christmas, Eastern and his birthday at the same day.

“You mean something like this?” he whispered, gently laying his lips upon Erik's sweet mouth. The brunet gasped in surprise, but he didn't pull back. Quite the opposite, he pressed his own mouth against Marco's, and he wrapped his arms around the blond's neck to pull him close.

Nothing had ever tasted as sweet as Erik's warm lips tasted, and when he licked with his tongue over his smooth bottom lip, Erik opened his mouth for him and let him explore the secrets awaiting him in the soft cavern. It was a shy and tender kiss, and it was the most wonderful experience Marco had ever made. Erik's curious tongue snaked around his own, inviting it for a dance and soon, Marco lost himself in their embrace and their kiss, savoring the feeling of being so close to the sweet boy he loved so much to the fullest.

When they had to part for air, they looked at each other with flushed cheeks, smiling sheepishly. Marco kissed the tip of Erik's nose, purring contentedly. “I wanted to do this for such a long time, Erik. In fact, Rufus had this idea because he wanted to help me coming closer to you, and not only because of the project,” he admitted, and Erik's red and nicely swollen lips formed a surprised “Oh!”

“He did?” he asked and Marco nodded. “He knew that I am in love with you for a rather long time, and he came up with this idea. He will be very pleased that it finally worked out.”

Erik snickered, a happy sound that made Marco's heart do another flip. “It worked out not only between me and you, I guess. Rufus and Sven became pretty close ever since we started this, as well. And yesterday, I caught Nuri and Mario kissing in the toilet in school. They didn't see me, though. And if I had to guess, than I would say that the last time Julian and Matze went to watch a movie was more a date than just two friends going to the movie theater.”

Marco joined his laughter. “You could be right with that, Erik. I caught Jonas and Patrick fighting the other day, like they always do, but this time, Patrick shut him up with a kiss, as well, when he had enough of Jonas' bitching.”

Erik frowned. “I should be mad at Jonas that he didn't tell me, after all, he is my childhood friend. But, I didn't tell him about my feelings for you, either, so we're even I guess. I'm only surprised that Patrick didn't show up with a black eye today.”

Marco grinned. “Jonas had no complaints about Patrick's kiss. He seemed to enjoy it, a lot.”

“As much as I enjoyed your kiss?” Erik challenged him with a cheeky smile, and the older boy let out a growl and pulled him close again. “I'm not sure, I guess I have to kiss you again just to be certain,” he murmured, passionately.

This time, their kiss wasn't shy, at all, and they were both out of breath and panting when they parted again. Marco stroked Erik's heated cheek, looking him deep in the eyes. “Will you still be ticklish when I'll carry you now, my sweet Teuton prince?” he asked, and Erik shook his head. “No, I won't. I trust you, my strong Roman legatus. I know that you will never let me down,” he said, sincerely, earning another quick kiss with his words.

“No, I will never let you down, Erik, neither in our performance, nor in real life. Maybe, we lived in another life in ancient Germania as the Roman Marcus Retus and Erik, the Mattiacer, who knows that? There is so much more in this world than we can see with our eyes or comprehend with our minds, and I'm not only playing a role when I'm Marcus, the Roman instead of Marco, the German. It feels real to me, and I like the idea that we were together in another life.”

Erik snuggled against him. “Me, too,” he mused, quietly. “When Mrs. Brömmel told us about her idea, I was scared and deterred, but now I'm happy that she made us do it, because it brought us together. Not only us, but also our friends. Rufus and Sven look so happy, and our other friends, as well.”

“You're right, Erik. We have to thank her after the open day, I guess,” Marco chuckled, pulling Erik up to his feet. “Come on, my defiant Teuton, we have a job to do, so we won't put the others to shame!” he ordered, and when he started the music, Erik came willingly into his arms without tensing up or wriggling, trusting his 'Roman' to carry him without letting him fall down to the floor.

They went through their roles with ease this time and when they shared another tender and passionate kiss at the end, Marco knew for sure that he would never be lonely again, a bright and happy future awaiting him with Erik always being by his side.

 

***

 

The open day was a wonderful, sunny spring day, and Marco and his friends could hardly wait for their performance to begin. They were all nervous and pale around their noses, but they were also determined to deliver the best show their school had ever seen. Mrs. Brömmel had decided to let them be the last of the groups, and Marco sat with his friends among the spectators, watching Luisa's girls dancing around with the ribbons. They were dressed in white tutus and looked beautiful, and Marco clapped his hands loudly when they finally bowed before the parents and other students with rosy cheeks and happy smiles. Mrs. Brömmel had announced to the three groups of their class earlier this morning that the director and the sports teacher had agreed to a contest between the six groups of the two classes. The winner-group would get a prize, the free visit of a musical in Hamburg during the Eastern holidays.

It was clear that Luisa and her girls expected to win this prize, and Marco thought it most likely that they had the chance to win, their classical dance something the other two groups before them hadn't shown in this high quality. Marco had already won his prize, Erik loved him, and this was all he had ever wished for, so he was simply looking forward to proving to their classmates that boys could do such a dance project without making complete fools of themselves. Their female classmates had giggled and laughed about them when it had been clear that their group would contain only boys, and Marco and his friends were determined to prove to them that they were as good when it came to dancing as girls were. Some of Luisa's girls played football, and Marco had never laughed at them because of that.

There was a short break, and then, the two groups dancing before them showed their skills, earning applause, but the watchers were not as excited as they had been after the Swan Lake.

“Marco, we have to get ready!” Rufus sitting at his left side whispered, and the blond nodded and stood up, following the red-haired boy with Erik in tow. They had a room where they could dress and Sven and the others were already there, waiting for them. Lars, Sven's twin, had promised to see to the music, so nothing would go wrong with the mix, and he smiled reassuringly at all of them. “You will do great, guys, I know that! I watched your show so many times, and I never grew tired of it, your audience will be speechless, I know that!” he said, and Marco relaxed as much as the other boys, shooting a quick glance into the mirror to make sure that his tunic and armor were dressed, properly. Erik's adoring glances when he looked at him gave him the self-confidence he needed, and when Mrs. Brömmel announced their group, all of them were ready to enter the stage in the huge auditorium of their school and give their very best. Erik squeezed his hand as he gently pushed him forward, and Marco cleared his throat, waiting until the whisper their costumes had aroused subsided again.

“Dear parents, dear students, I have to admit that the idea of our dear teacher Mrs. Brömmel almost gave us a heart attack, the thought of having to perform some kind of male ballet ensemble all of you probably know from carnival events truly scaring me and my friends,” he started, pulling a few chuckles from the visitors of the open day with his blatant words.

“Me and my friends are all more into football than into dancing, and we really didn't know what we should do at first, but then, Rufus had a great idea to a true ballet taking place in ancient Germania.” Marco pulled at Rufus' arm, and the red-haired boy stepped beside him smiling at the parents and students holding their breaths.

“Luckily, Mrs. Brömmel allowed our friend Auba to join our group, because as much as I liked the performance of Luisa and her great dancers, but Auba really doesn't look like a Swan.” More giggles were to be heard when Auba stepped at Marco's other side, bowing with a huge grin. “He showed us how to dance properly, he is as skilled as a dancer as he is as a footballer,” Marco continued and the boy with the creamy dark skin blushed by Marco's praise.

Marco turned to Lars standing behind the audio equipment, beckoning him to come to him. “Sven's brother Lars helped us with the music, without him, we couldn't have realized our own little ballet.” The spectators clapped their hands and Lars bowed before them, smiling sheepishly.

“Mario here agreed to tell our story for you, so you won't have a hard time with following us, and you will know what's going on in each scene in case our performance won't give you a clue about it. He will also tell you our Roman and Teuton names, so you will know who is who of us.”

Mario ducked his head between his shoulders, but Marco could see that he enjoyed the applause he got after Marco's explanation.

“We wish all of you a good time, please enjoy the adventure of the young Roman legatus Marcus Retus,” he pointed at himself, “his loyal and brave legionaries, Severus, Nurio, Julius, Patricius and Abilio,“ Marco pointed at Sven, Nuri, Julian, Patrick and Auba, “and the young Teuton prince Erik the Mattiacer,” Marco waved at Erik to come to him which his sweet boyfriend did with a shy smile. “His brother Marbod,” Mario stepped beside Erik, “and his friends Jonas, Malte and Rutilo.”

Jonas, Matze and Rufus joined Erik, and the visitors sitting before the stage clapped their hands again.

Marco bowed before them, ushering his friends from the stage again, while Lars dimmed the lights and started Mario's narration. Erik had laid down where he was supposed to lie in the 'grass' and Marco took a deep breath, murmuring a silent prayer that everything would go well.

After two months of practicing and waiting, the show had finally began.

 

***

 

The next hour went by in some kind of haze, and Marco was sure that he wasn't the only one feeling this way. The blond pupil wasn't aware of the hundreds of eyes watching them, he didn't notice anything of what was going on around them, he only heard Mario's voice coming from the speakers, the music Lars played for each of their scenes, and he only saw his friends dancing with him and around him.

Lars had managed to get the music they had chosen for their ballet as the instrumental versions so the audience wouldn't be distracted by the texts that didn't really match with their story, and it was also easier for him and his friends to dance to the instrumental versions. They had chosen Depeche Mode, Billy Idol and a lot of other singers and groups, the hammering beat making not only the speakers vibrate, but the entire aula as Marco 'rode' on his imaginary horse over the stage.

He saved Erik and carried him into his camp, swaying his torso forth and back and to the sides as he knelt at the Teuton prince's bed and took care of his wounds, danced around him when Erik tried to escape. When he had convinced him that he was his ally and not his enemy, they 'rode' over the stage on their imaginary horses to rescue Erik's brother Marbod/Mario, together with Nuri. Julian had agreed to play two roles, he was the bad Roman who had trapped Mario, and Nuri fought a duel with Julian to save Erik's brother to the music of Queen's 'Another one bites the dust', Julian dramatically falling down to the ground when he was defeated.

The four of them rode back through a thunderstorm, underlaid with hard rock, coming just in time to see Sven and his legionaries fighting against Jonas and his Teutons. They had decided to use the 'Sabre Dance' for this scene, and Marco felt a little bit disorientated after all the whirling and wielding of his plastic sword like he always felt after this scene.

Erik and Marbod were supposed to save Marcus and Nurio when they were attacked from behind, this heroic act of the two princes finally leading to the truth and the peace treaty, Teutons and Romans throwing their swords away, one after the other.

Jonas and Matze had had the idea for the last scene, being huge fans of Asterix and Obelix and their feasts after each adventure. Romans and Teutons were sitting together, eating 'wild hogs' and drinking wine and cervisia under the moon shining on ancient Germania until they were all drunk, lying in the grass side by side and snoring silently. Auba as the one without a 'match' covered them with a blanket and Lars turned down the lights until the stage was dark, the music slowly fading and finally stopping.

Marco blinked, feeling as if he had just woken up from a dream, wondering briefly how much time had past, because for him, it had felt like an eternity, like a complete, entire life. They had done it, they had really done it without stumbling or forgetting their steps.

Now, it was up to the audience to decide whether or not they had liked it. Marco didn't really care about their reaction, though, he had won Erik's heart because of their dance project, his boyfriend's fingers entangled with his own as they lay there, panting heavily, and for him, Erik's love was all that mattered, only their love and nothing else.

 

***

 

There was a moment of dead silence, the huge auditorium that quiet that one could have heard a needle falling to the ground, but then, their spectators began to applaud, frantically, rising to their feet to reward them with standing ovations. The crowd shouted and whistled, yelling their names, and Marco blinked again, unable to believe his ears. This must be his imagination playing tricks on him, maybe it was his heartbeat drumming in his ears?

Someone pulled him up to his feet and Marco stumbled forward with Erik's hand still in his own, looking around to search for his friends. Sven grinned like an idiot as he took Rufus' hand, bowing before the excited mass, and Marco could see that Rufus quickly wiped his eyes. He smiled, waiting for the others of their group to join them, and then, they all stood there, holding hands and bowing before their audience again and again. Marco could see Luisa and her co-dancers gaping at them with their mouths hanging open, obviously unable to believe what they had just witnessed.

He suppressed a satisfied grin, waving at Lars to come to them. Sven's brother did, taking Auba's hand and letting himself be bathed in the applause directed at him as much as it was directed at the dancers, because without him, they couldn't have done it. Lars had made sure that the lights and the music were right and he had spent a huge amount of time with searching for the right songs for their 'ballet'.

Mrs. Brömmel clapping her hands came to the stage with the director, Mr. Hummels, both of them smiling proudly.

“My dear boys, of course, I knew before today what you had planned for us, but seeing you perform this on the stage with so many people watching you really impressed the hell out of me. I was aware that it would be a difficult task for you when I told you about the project, and I would have been content with you dancing for a couple of minutes to one or two songs, because after all, you are footballers and not dancers. But, you didn't only accept your fate and tried to survive it somehow, but you made more than the best out of it, and all of you truly outdid yourselves today. I cannot tell you how proud I am of you, and I can only hope that some of our other students will try to do the same in the future. You won the prize with your performance, you will visit Hamburg and the musical 'The Miracle of Bern' there,” Mrs. Brömmel said, and the audience began to applaud and shout again.

Marco pinched himself, certain that he was dreaming all of this, but when Erik turned his head to smile at him, he knew that this wasn't a dream, at all, but reality. A wonderful reality, and the best thing was that he could share this reality with Erik, his beloved Teuton prince.

 

***

 

“Even the press and the TV were there!” Mario shouted when they sat together in the party room in Marco's house later in the evening. Marco's parents had bought drinks and and made some sandwiches for a spontaneous party to celebrate their success, and Marco and his friends were having a real good time. “They will mention us in the local news!” The shorter brunet sat in Nuri's lap, looking utterly happy. Nuri pressed him close, stealing a kiss from his boyfriend now and then.

After the day when Marco and Erik had finally admitted their feelings to each other and kissed for the first time, they had come out to their friends a couple of days later during one of their rehearsals, and Mario and Nuri had been the next ones to announce that they were a couple. Sven and Rufus had followed their example, only Matze and Jonas had had a hard time to say it out loud that they had fallen in love with 'their Romans' Julian and Patrick. Marco and Sven hadn't pushed the issue, sensing that the would do that when they were ready. As long as the were fine with Erik and him being together, Marco was fine with them needing more time, as well.

The blond pupil felt a little bit sorry for their friend Auba who had been the eleventh 'wheel' on their carriage somehow, but when he now saw the glances Auba exchanged with Lars, he wasn't so sure about Auba not having found his match anymore. The Gabonese had spent a lot of time with Lars, being the best dancer of their group, choosing the music, and they had apparently come closer during their meetings.

“The best thing were Luisa's disbelieving glances. She obviously thought that we wouldn't be able to get a good grade for our project being only boys and footballers,” Julian mused, briefly stroking Matze's hand while handing him a glass with apple juice 'his Teuton' had requested.

Marco had felt pity with Luisa and her dancers, because their show had been really good, but Julian was right, she had teased him and his clique the entire two months, and their dance project had silenced her very effectively.

“I can't believe that we will visit Hamburg and see 'The Miracle of Bern!” Erik sighed happily, leaning against Marco's shoulder. “I always wanted to do that, but my parents wouldn't let me. Now, they have to,” he added with a smug smile and the others chuckled. “Yes, my parents weren't pleased, either, but after hearing that your mother and her friend would come with us because they made the costumes for us, they were fine with that trip,” Jonas stated, shooting Patrick a quick sidelong glance before kissing him all of a sudden. Patrick let out a surprised yelp, staring at Jonas with big eyes.

“What was that?” he stammered, and Jonas shrugged his shoulders with a blush. “It was about time, I guess. This project has had a strange side-effect, letting each 'Teuton' find a matching 'Roman', even Auba has found someone for himself,” he said, grinning at Auba and Lars. “Erik and Marco, Sven and Rufus, switching their 'normal' roles for our project's sake – at least when it comes to their names, Mario and Nuri – I think that all of you knew about us, anyway.”

Julian chuckled, bending forward to ruffle Matze's hair. “Yes, we did, Jonas. It was quite obvious, even with your bitching all of the time. Maybe because of your bitching. And yes, Matze and I are together, as well,” he said, and their friends clapped their hands and let out shouts of joy, because all of them had finally come out of the closet.

Later, when the others had gone and Marco was alone with Erik, lying on his bed, cuddling and kissing, his wonderful boyfriend pillowed his head on his chest and Marco gently stroked his hair.

“Are you happy, my sweet Teuton?” he asked, silently, and Erik nodded his head with a happy sigh. “Yes, I am. Today, when we danced – it was as if I truly were this Teuton prince and as if you were the proud and strong Roman legatus. I like the idea that we have met in a former life, maybe we have known each other for a rather long time and it simply has to be like this? You and me together, I mean.” He gazed at Marco and the blond smiled at him, pressing a kiss onto his soft and fragrant hair.

“I know for sure that we are meant to be together, Erik, and I will gladly live each life fate throws at me, as long as it will be a life with you by my side, because I love you, Erik Durm, now and forever.”

Erik blew a kiss at him and his hazel-green eyes were filled with deep emotions when he said: “And I will live each life I have to live, gladly, as long as this life will include you being by my side, because I love you now and forever, too, Marco Reus. As long as we are together, everything will be fine, no matter what will happen to us, because our love is unbreakable.”

And Marco knew for sure that this was the truth.

 

_The End_


End file.
